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International

Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as running mate

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4 minute read

From The Center Square

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the Democrats’ presidential ticket against Republican former President Donald Trump.

The news comes 16 days after President Joe Biden said he would not seek reelection and endorsed Harris, who immediately acknowledged her candidacy. No other candidates emerged, and the party by virtual roll call Thursday through Monday awarded her the nomination.

“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate. As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team,” Harris posted on X shortly before 10:30 a.m. eastern on Thursday.

The duo was expected to launch a battleground states tour Tuesday night at Temple University in Philadelphia. Parts of the tour in Georgia and North Carolina are being altered due to Hurricane Debby that hit Florida on Monday and began advancing up the Atlantic Seaboard as a tropical storm.

Walz came from behind, according to oddsmakers, to become the choice. Speculation from the outset centered on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly. Below that were Walz, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Cooper a week ago removed his name from consideration when, at the time, he and Shapiro were considered the two leaders for the job. Shapiro was the expected choice as late as Monday morning.

As a working-class politician – that includes working as a teacher and serving in the National Guard – with a rural background, Walz can serve as a progressive foil to Trump’s fellow Midwesterner pick, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance. The North Star State governor called both Republicans “weird” in a comment that has gone viral.

If Walz were to become vice president, he would become the third in the ranks of vice presidents from Minnesota. Hubert Humphrey served under Lyndon B. Johnson, and Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter.

Walz has 12 years experience in Congress and has twice been elected governor.

As governor, Walz has supported abortion access, voting rights expansion and voting rights reforms. He has also been endorsed by more than 25 Minnesota labor unions, including AFL-CIO, MN Teamsters, AFSCME, Education Minnesota and United Food and Commercial Workers.

He’s drawn praise for education investment, including free breakfast and lunch in public schools.

Walz self-describes his actions an “abject failure” during the Twin Cities riots associated with the death of George Floyd. He called in the National Guard, rejected federal military assistance and videos still circulate showing debris, smoke and inner city scenes many might think are in a foreign country rather than America.

Minnesota, carrying 10 electoral votes, is a historically Democratic stronghold that has become more competitive in recent years. The most recent polls show Harris ahead of Trump in the state.

Trump was nominated last month in Milwaukee, Wis., with Vance as his running mate. Independent Robert Kennedy Jr. is the highest polling of other candidates on ballots.

International

Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ defense shield must be built now, Lt. Gen. warns

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MXM logo  MxM News

Quick Hit:

Lt. Gen. Trey Obering (Ret.), former director of the Missile Defense Agency, is calling on Congress and the Department of Defense to move quickly in support of President Donald Trump’s vision for a next-generation missile defense system—dubbed the “Golden Dome.” In a Fox News op-ed, Obering argues that a constellation of up to 2,000 satellite interceptors could defend against modern threats from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran at a fraction of the cost of today’s ground-based systems.

Key Details:

  • The Golden Dome initiative will be presented to President Trump following his executive order mandating the development of advanced national missile defense.

  • Obering says a space-based system, enabled by AI and peer-to-peer networking, could intercept missiles earlier in their trajectory, significantly enhancing U.S. deterrence capabilities.

  • Estimated cost for the full satellite constellation would be less than the price of today’s 44 ground interceptors and global radar network.

Diving Deeper:

In a March 31 op-ed for Fox News, retired Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, who directed the Missile Defense Agency under President George W. Bush, laid out a detailed argument for why President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense shield is both technologically feasible and strategically necessary. “We can do this — and we must,” Obering wrote, emphasizing the urgency of the moment.

According to Obering, the current U.S. missile defense architecture—reliant on ground-based interceptors and radar systems—faces serious limitations in light of the increasingly sophisticated missile technologies being developed by U.S. adversaries. “Our existing missile-defense system cannot easily defeat some of our adversaries’ more modern, sophisticated weapons,” he noted.

The “Golden Dome” proposal envisions a network of up to 2,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, operating as both sensors and interceptors. The concept, which builds on Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative and the shelved “Brilliant Pebbles” program, is now achievable thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, satellite production, and space-based communications. “Each satellite has the knowledge of every other satellite,” Obering explained. “They all serve as both threat sensors and hit-to-kill interceptors.”

Obering pointed to real-world applications of this model in Ukraine, where a peer-to-peer software system—built using concepts from Uber—has helped the Ukrainian military effectively target Russian positions. A similar concept could be applied to satellite-based missile defense. “The networking concept has already proven its effectiveness on the battlefield in Ukraine,” he said.

Importantly, Obering stressed that while no missile shield is perfect, the deterrent power of such a system would be undeniable. “The capability and capacity now exists to defeat single and multiple missile launches, thereby creating strategic deterrence — or ‘peace through strength,’ in the words of both Reagan and Trump,” he wrote.

Cost is another key factor. Obering argued that this next-gen system would come in at a lower price than the 44 ground interceptors currently deployed in Alaska and California. He cited SpaceX’s Starlink, which already has over 7,000 satellites in orbit, as proof of concept for rapid and scalable deployment. “For a defense system charged with safeguarding countless lives and trillions of dollars in assets, this would be money well spent,” he said.

He also warned that bureaucratic delays must not slow the project. “We cannot allow unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles to stifle our progress,” Obering urged. He called on Congress to expedite confirmations of key defense leaders and fully fund the Golden Dome initiative, with the Missile Defense Agency as the lead coordinating body.

With China racing ahead in artificial intelligence and space defense, Obering concluded with a stark warning: “Golden Dome must be built first; the alternative is too terrible to contemplate.”

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2025 Federal Election

Liberal MP Paul Chiang Resigns Without Naming the Real Threat—The CCP

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The Opposition with Dan Knight     Dan Knight

After parroting a Chinese bounty on a Canadian citizen, Chiang exits the race without once mentioning the regime behind it—opting instead to blame “distractions” and Donald Trump.

So Paul Chiang is gone. Stepped aside. Out of the race. And if you’re expecting a moment of reflection, an ounce of honesty, or even the basic decency to acknowledge what this was really about—forget it.

In his carefully scripted resignation statement, Chiang didn’t even mention the Chinese Communist Party. Not once. He echoed a foreign bounty placed on a Canadian citizen—Joe Tay—and he couldn’t even bring himself to name the regime responsible.

Instead, he talked about… Donald Trump. That’s right. He dragged Trump into a resignation about repeating CCP bounty threats. The guy who effectively told Canadians, “If you deliver a Conservative to the Chinese consulate, you can collect a reward,” now wants us to believe the real threat is Trump?

I haven’t seen Donald Trump put bounties on Canadian citizens. But Beijing has. And Chiang parroted it like a good little foot soldier—and then blamed someone who lives 2,000 miles away.

But here’s the part you can’t miss: Mark Carney let him stay.

Let’s not forget, Carney called Chiang’s comments “deeply offensive” and a “lapse in judgment”—and then said he was staying on as the candidate. It wasn’t until the outrage hit boiling point, the headlines stacked up, and groups like Hong Kong Watch got the RCMP involved, that Chiang bailed. Not because Carney made a decision—because the optics got too toxic.

And where is Carney now? Still refusing to disclose his financial assets. Still dodging questions about that $250 million loan from the Bank of China to the firm he chaired. Still giving sanctimonious speeches about “protecting democracy” while his own caucus parrots authoritarian propaganda.

If you think Chiang’s resignation fixes the problem, you’re missing the real issue. Because Chiang was just the symptom.

Carney is the disease.

He covered for it. He excused it. He enabled it. And now he wants to pose as the man who will stand up to foreign interference?

He can’t even stand up to it in his own party.

So no, we’re not letting this go. Chiang may be gone—but the stench is still in the room. And it’s wearing a tailored suit, smiling for the cameras, and calling itself “leader of the Liberal Party.”

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